Almost Doomsday for the Dome. A Fable.

Gretl

Hi All,
On Saturday I opened the dome of the large Egg to light the coals and WHOA. The band gave way and the HEAVY dome fell to the stone patio while I held on to the handle for dear life. As the weight's literally pulling me over the grill head first, I'm thinking, "Don't let go, or the dome's a goner!" And guess what? I held on, and the dome barely hit the stone and didn't crack at all. WHEW! Jim helped fix the band, and we enjoyed great baked beans later that night as a result of putting Humpty back together again. Later I thought, what if the fire had been going when the band gave way? I'd probably look like Bill the Cat today! Moral of the story: CHECK THOSE BANDS before opening the lid!
Cheers,
Gretl

Tim M

Gretl,[p]You should make a call to BGE and talk to them to make sure you have it back correctly. You sound like it was just a matter of placing it back on and tightening the bolts. I have never seen a bolt on the Egg that can be used a second time - reason, because it is so badly bent when its tightened that it can't have the nut backed off without shearing in two. Now I have only removed 12 bolts so far and all but 2 (from a small Egg) didn't shear in two. But call BGE and see what they say. There is a small piece of sand paper there too and many have posted about it not being in place. They are happy to help - 1-888-929-3447[p]Tim

Huck

Didja get a video of that!?! You can laugh now cantcha ?

Billy

Gretl,
I am just curious. It sounds as though the band came off the bottom of the egg but was still attached to the dome. Is that the case? I have my bolts so tight that they are bent into a u-shape. I also removed the bands and put silicone adhesive on them as was suggested by Chazz at BGE. They now supply a tube of silicone with new Eggs.Billy

NCMike

Gretl, a few years ago on Christmas, a friend(who bought his egg after seeing mine) was cooking a turkey for his family. While he went to walk the dog, his wife innocently lifted the lid on the large egg, and it fell off and smashed into a hundred pieces. When he returned from his walk, his wife was in tears and the flames were licking the ceiling of his porch. Somehow, he was able to cover it with foil, and save the turkey. The dealer he bought it at was able to get another lid for him with no problems.

Unknown

Tim M, you've had to replace 12 bolts so far? Besides being a pain and hassle (I would think) there must be something really wrong causing you that much grief. I thought at first you were talking as a BGE dealer, but that's not in your profile. Maybe you're a weightlifter, huh? 8^)

Tim M

one feral kat,[p]Whoops, I guess that did need a clarification. None broke or needed replacement really. The original 4 were removed to add the new auto lock band (4 bolts removed). Then I got the Egg-mate folding tables and had to remove the band to add the Egg-mate (2 more removed). The Egg-mate came with more bolts. Then I got the even newer autolock top (2 more). Then the small came to me and I had BGE replace that band because it was bent and opened with difficulty. There were 4 bolts removed and 2 didn't break (2 more).[p]So it was all for upgrading - not damage.[p]Tim

Gretl

NCMike,
That's an awful story. I'll be sure to take all the suggestions and double check the bolts when I get home. I've continued cooking (barbeque chicken last night) with no problems, but I do lift the lid VERY cautiously.
Cheers,
G.